Back in 2021 we wrote about ‘Shorty McFly‘, a single from Portland‘s Simple Shapes on Rue Defense, which used the “imagery of paranormal TV shows to evoke the experience of being ghosted in a relationship.” Formed by Pete Bensen (Bug Seance) and multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Larsen (Sunbathe), Simple Shapes played a couple of shows as a duo before the arrival of the pandemic, but after a lockdown period working on new material, added Elly Swope on guitar/synths and Tanner Jason on bass to form a fully-fledged band. This set-up was apparent on the single, moving beyond the lo-fi textures of the early material into something richer and more immediate. “The wistful, nostalgic edge to the track speaks to the inherently backward-looking nature of both [ghosting] experiences,” we wrote, “while the rising intensity carries the visceral impact of raw emotions.”
Now Simple Shapes are back with Rue Defense for a brand new ‘cassingle’ Florence/Figure it Out. Building upon the previous single, the tracks feel like Simple Shapes settling into their true form, combining cathartic energy with nostalgic emotion to reflect on moments great and small. Opener ‘Florence’ occupies the former of these categories, drawing on the imagery of the Renaissance in Florence, Italy to examine our relationship with place and time. With its high energy and impassioned delivery, the song asks what it means to belong both in terms of our place on the map and our place in history, rising into a triumphant closing minute.
‘Figure It Out’ is rooted in altogether more mundane circumstances, the song describing everyday activities like dancing in your bedroom and smoking on the roof, though is no less striking as a result. With a characteristic blend of mood and groove, Simple Shapes elevate these actions into things to be cherished and celebrated, and in reflecting on them find a way to charge the present with newfound meaning.
